Category Archives: GearInstitute.com

As you’ve no doubt heard by now, 2016 marks the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service here in the U.S. To celebrate, Osprey Packs, which is an official partner of the National Park Foundation, has released two special edition backpacks that commemorate this important milestone, with proceeds going to support that important organization.

The larger of these two packs is the National Park Service Kestrel 32, which is available exclusively at REI. It features Osprey’s very own LightWire suspension system for carrying heavy loads with ease, a large main compartment for hauling lots of gear, and front panel access that gives you the ability to find all of your important items quickly and easily.

The other special edition pack is the National Park Foundation Trip 20, which can only be purchased from Osprey.com. This bag is built for light and fast hiking, peak bagging, or other excursions where weight is a consideration. It has a sleek look and a no-frills approach, with top-loading access to a main storage compartment..

Osprey packs have been setting the standard for pack performance for years, and this spring they’re raising the bar once again by incorporating the popular Anti-Gravity suspension system into a new series of daypacks.

The perpetually popular Manta for men and Mira for women are among the Osprey packs that received a coveted makeover for 2016. The Manta AG and Mira AG feature the AG Lightwire Suspension that lifts the packs off your back as well as the AG Airspeed backpanel that is made from a durable mesh material. This combination of innovative concepts helps create a pocket of air between your back and the main compartment of the pack, providing unmatched ventilation without sacrificing the tight, secure fit you need for all-day hiking.

To conduct our upright roller bag test, test director Cameron Martindell recruited multiple testers to use these bags on an extended trip abroad. The conditions for this test could not have been better. All six bags in this test went on a seven week trip from the United States to Finland. Testers traveled all over Finland from Helsinki to the Arctic Circle. After the flight across the Atlantic testers traveled by bus, train and car and even had some long hauls dragging the luggage behind them down streets, over cobblestones, across unpaved sections and through various levels of snow and ice..

To conduct our 2015 ski touring day pack test, test director Ben Conners recruited a team of testers who used these packs on day trips throughout Colorado inbounds along with multiple day trips into the backcountry of Southwest Colorado. They compared them side by side rating them on our five main criteria—comfort/stability, ski/snowboard carry, features, ease of use, and durability. The Gear Institute Rating is the combined score across all categories, representing the highest overall level of performance.

Osprey Kode 32LSimply put, the Osprey Kode 32 has it all for half to full-day forays into the backcountry. This was the single overall favorite out of all the packs in this test.

New Trade Deal Possible Boon for Outdoor Gear CompaniesColorado Public Radio reports on the potential impact of a new, 12-nation trade deal struck earlier this month—the specific details of which are still under wraps. In the meantime, though, CPR spoke with the Boulder-based Outdoor Industry Association and executives at Colorado-based companies like Voormi and Osprey to gauge the likely impact of the trade deal…

Osprey Takes Flight
Osprey Packs, which has called Cortez, Colorado home since 1987, moved its manufacturing to southeast Asia in 2003. CEO Tom Barney said the move allowed them to grow into an industry leader that still has a large presence in southwest Colorado.

Hikers across the country and around the world can breathe a collective sigh of relief. In 2016, the wait is finally over and Osprey Packs is bringing its coveted Anti-Gravity (AG) technology to daypacks. The AG feature is designed to form to the contours of your back and uses a lightweight mesh to create increased airflow that helps to keep your back cool during long hikes.

The AG technology will be available in the men’s specific Manta AG in 36L , 28L, and 20L sizes as well as the women’s specific Mira AG in 34L, 26L, and 18L options. Both the Mira and the Manta include a hydration reservoir in a separate, dedicated compartment, as well as Osprey’s popular magnetic sternum strap bite valve attachment.

The Osprey Rev 12 is an excellently designed pack—one of a series from Ospery, ranging in size from 1.5L to 24L—and is also one of the most comfortable we’ve ever tested. It has many of the bells and whistles of a hiking daypack, yet rides smoothly and bounce-free on hard-charging mountain runs.

Fit/ComfortFor being one of the largest packs I tested in this roundup, the Osprey Rev 12 also rides amazingly well and bounce-free. It’s part of Osprey’s relatively new Rev line of trail-running packs, which include 1.5L, 6L, 12L, 18L and 24L options. With a nod to Osprey’s heritage as a successful backpacking company, the Rev 12 is unusual in the trail-running world for coming equipped with a hip belt and more substantial mesh harness system to promote breathability between your back and the pack. Incredibly, these features do not feel like overkill on the pack; rather, they help it ride exceptionally smoothly, even when fully loaded with gear.

The redesigned Osprey Atmos 65 AG backpack is significantly more comfortable than its predecessor and reaches the pinnacle of comfort for a large backpack. The Atmos 65 AG still has the organizational features of the previous model providing versatility and enhancing comfort all in one package.

Comfort/FitThe Atmos 65 AG is as comfortable as any pack I have ever tested. It takes a few extra minutes to dial in all the adjustments on the hip belt and shoulder harness for maximum comfort, but once you get it just right, you will be singing its praises. The pack felt very light and agile and the Anti-Gravity padding and functionality provided amazing comfort…